dancezwithkittehz -- back with a vengeance!

[dancezwithkittehz]

I'M BAAAAAAAAACKKKKKKKKK!

 

 

 

As you may have noticed I was totally MIA for December because life was NUTS and then I was sick and also I wanted to hermit to get some downtime from life being nuts. OOF.

 

BUT DECEMBER IS OVER MY FRIENDS!!!!!

 

I took my December hibernation break to give a long hard think to what I wanted to work on for the coming year. And my conclusion is HEY WHAT ABOUT ALL THIS OTHER STUFF YOU WANTED TO DO before you got TOO BUSY with all the dance shows and more dance shows and more dance shows. Like, all your OTHER goals? Yeah THOSE! DO THOSE YO.

 

Some examples:

1. Wanted to work towards doing a Spartan Trifecta. Had to eliminate running to save all leg muscle impact for dance.

2. Wanted to be able to do a pull up. Had to stop doing aerial because I couldn't fit it in with my dance schedule or lifting schedule. Stopped any work on hanging stuff along with the aerial.

3. Stopped lifting for 2 months because my rehearsal schedule got too hectic and the human body can only do so much exercise.

4. Stopped doing aerial for 6+ months because of rehearsal schedule.

5. Stopped doing most bodyweight workout stuff including push ups and squats and crazy core workouts because of rehearsal schedule.

 

So basically I was doing gnarly amounts of exercise, BUT NOT THESE THINGS. And I MISSSSS THESE THINGS. I decided to skip the winter show because I need a break to do these things AND I also just need a damn break from having rehearsals. Burn out is bad. We must avoid burn out!

 

Anywho!! Without further ado:

 

!!!!GOALS FOR THIS CHALLENGE!!!!

 

GOAL 1 - AERIAL

 

Aerial at least 1 x per week (long term goal: get back to intermediate level aerialist so I can get to doing creative stuff)

 

 

GOAL 2 - Bodyweight Training

Bodyweight workouts at least 2 x per week and must include pull up progression work/hanging  (long term goals: be able to do unassisted pull up, be able to do 30 push ups in a row & long long term be able to do handstand push up)

 

 

GOAL 3 - Running

Run at least 1 x per week -- this will be slow and run/walk for starters! (long term goal: be able to run half marathon distance so I can do longest Spartan length)

 

GOAL 4 - Lifting

Lift at least 1x per week (Long term goal: Awesomeness? I would like to be able to bench and squat my own weight on the bar for starters!)

 

LIFE GOALS -

 

Lipstick! Wear at least 1x per week to work. Bonus point if you find that special straw you bought so you can wear lipstick and be able to drink things without it fading and BRING IT TO WORK.

Declutter! Continue massive room overhaul project. I can't decide how I am going to set parameters on this. Let's say must spend at least 30 minutes a week on room decluttering. (I usually will keep going as long as I can get myself started so likely will do more than 30 min/week!)

 

[Finisterre]

Yaaaaay you're back! I'm in a similar place with the aerial so following for you being awesome as usual

[dancezwithkittehz]

  We shall flail sadly together until we are awesome. Someday. Hahahahaha.

[karinajean]

NICE GOALS!

happy you have an animal army to help you.

 

[Manarelle]

Welcome back! Dance does tend to take over your entire life... it's a heck of a workout, but yeah, I can see wanting other goals. The lipstick one amuses me; I am not a make-up wearer, but I tend to use colored lip gloss, and it's ALWAYS gone by lunchtime. I usually can't be bothered to really it for the afternoon, because who am I trying to impress, really? The straw idea is smart though. 

 

You can do it!

[sylph]

Another returning assassin. Respawning right there along with you!

[raptron]

Welcome back! I <3 youuuu! I will say caution is the watch word when it comes to try to do not 1 or 2 but FOUR exercise things -- lifting, bodyweight, aerial, AND running? They're not all going to be at the highest level of quality if you are trying to work on all four at once. But you are a powerful rainbow generator, so I am sure it CAN be done.

[dancezwithkittehz]

On 1/9/2017 at 7:35 AM, raptron said:

Welcome back! I <3 youuuu! I will say caution is the watch word when it comes to try to do not 1 or 2 but FOUR exercise things -- lifting, bodyweight, aerial, AND running? They're not all going to be at the highest level of quality if you are trying to work on all four at once. But you are a powerful rainbow generator, so I am sure it CAN be done.

 

Is it bad that working on less than 4 things seemed really weird to me? Hahahahahaha. Like. Working on JUST dance for so long was starting to give me the sads. Assassin problems!

 

I consider the lifting/bodyweight/aerial all to be facets of the same stuff more or less. Bodyweight training will be mixed in on the aerial day and also on the lifting day, plus I am doing one extra day of bodyweight training midweek so I don't have a 4 day break between aerial and when I do lifting again (more of a maintenance day than a serious heavy work type day!)  I am thinking the running I will also fit somewhere into that midweek area and the running is going to be so pathetic right now as I havent done it in forever (Except the tons of running I did around the stage in this last show? It was a kittehz runs around the stage being ridiculous type of show hahahaha.) Running is definitely lower on priorities/ I plan to graaaadually be able to run more.

[dancezwithkittehz]

So I have totes been working on my goals but failing to keep you all updated because work has been HOLYSHITWHAT this week because it is the start of the quarter and all the students came back. Also my union was on strike Tuesday, so I celebrated the being at home not being paid by making dumplings with the boyfriend. We made two fillings (a meaty nom and a non-meaty nom.) FOOOOOOOOD.

 

Also I realized when we went to go get non shitty ground pork from the awesome local meat store that I really should go to the local butcher more because ONE better meat, TWO more ethically slaughtered animals that I don't have to think about how the chickens and whatever were sitting sad and unmoving in a box before I ate them...(I always struggle with feeling terrible about buying big brand grocery store meat!) This place offers package deals for buying in bulk in different sized packages so there is a "single" sized bundle vs the family bundle that is pretty reasonable! THINGS TO PONDER.

 

Also I realize now that I am back to lifting and aerial that my concerning lack of appetite the last few months was in fact just lack of strength work. NOM MONSTER HAS RETURNED GIVE ME ALL THE FOOD.

 

Also, HOLY FUCK AERIAL IS HARD YOU GUYS. I mean...I know this, but when you've barely done it over the last year. OOOF. OOOF OWWW. I can barely climb halfway up the silk and I am struggling with endurance and I am having to relearn footlocks because my body is like WHAT IS THIS WE FORGOT HAHAHAHAHA.  On the plus side the few things I do still have in my body actually still look pretty? Yay muscle memory!

[sylph]

12 minutes ago, dancezwithkittehz said:

 

Also, HOLY FUCK AERIAL IS HARD YOU GUYS. I mean...I know this, but when you've barely done it over the last year. OOOF. OOOF OWWW. I can barely climb halfway up the silk and I am struggling with endurance and I am having to relearn footlocks because my body is like WHAT IS THIS WE FORGOT HAHAHAHAHA.  On the plus side the few things I do still have in my body actually still look pretty? Yay muscle memory!

I share all of your "returning to aerial is hard" feels. Fo sho.

[dancezwithkittehz]

About where I am with work this afternoon

 

[sylph]

Hope today's a bit better for you.

[dancezwithkittehz]

Today is a bit better because IT'S FRIDAY WOOHOO. I am so looking forward to down time and sleeping in!

 

On the plus side I should not need to pull off any more logistical miracles this week OR hopefully next week either.  (And a student who was being a bit of a pushy jerk on Wednesday came back in yesterday to apologize for being pushy because he realized I probably put in a ton of work to pull off moving the lecture he wanted to get into so we could fit more people. YES. YES IT WAS A TON OF WORK AND NEGOTIATIONS DUDE. Still irked at him but slightly less cranky now.)

 

I think feeling burnt out and like I need a break from dance stuff has lead to me reaching my threshold for NEED BREAK NAOOOO much faster with all things. I guess feeling overbooked and having too much on my plate for too long has longer reaching consequences? Life lessons!!!

 

 

[Koaladle]

[sylph]

On 1/13/2017 at 4:24 PM, dancezwithkittehz said:

 

I think feeling burnt out and like I need a break from dance stuff has lead to me reaching my threshold for NEED BREAK NAOOOO much faster with all things. I guess feeling overbooked and having too much on my plate for too long has longer reaching consequences? Life lessons!!!

Time for a vacation somewhere amazing?

[karinajean]

aaaah stresssss!

are you having a 3 day weekend? I hope so, and I hope it's amazing.

[raptron]

Yes, hope you found some relaxxxxation time! 

[dancezwithkittehz]

On 1/16/2017 at 9:54 AM, sylph said:

Time for a vacation somewhere amazing?

 

Hmmmm maybe eventually but I think for right now I just need down time!  (Going on vacation in December when what I wanted was downtime was...not ideal. I did not get nearly as much enjoyment out of it as I would have in a different mindset!!)

[dancezwithkittehz]

Three day weekend relax-y time was a success in spite of giving myself a ...meat hangover? on Sunday. (Like a slight hangover plus made myself sick from eating too much steak right before going to bed and woke up with horrible stomach cramps. It was not a fun day! lol)

 

Friday the 13th party on Friday was fun, Saturday was fun seeing Rogue 1 with the boyfriend plus supporting a friend at a poetry reading and then making bomb dinner with boyfriend (even though we took way too long making too many courses and the aforementioned meat hangover happened as a result of steak at almost midnight. Fail. Woooops.) Sunday was a lost day but I did hang out in pajamas and play video games and hug cats inspite of feeling crappy. Missed out on my lifting day because of that (argh!) but tried to make up for that by at least doing some pull up work late in the evening when I felt less crappy! Then rounded out the evening with board games with brother and BF. Good times! Sunday I got in cleaning like I wanted to for my life goals (although I did more refrigerator declutter than room decluttering!)

 

Anywhooo I consider this last week a success inspite of not getting in lifting!

 

I also totally failed at lipstick goal, but it's not as important to me as the other things on the list so I will forgive myself. I need come up with a solution to get myself to do this. Maybe I can put on lipstick once I get to work? I have a hard time getting myself to do it in the morning because I know boyfriend won't kiss me goodbye if I am all lipsticky. First world problems!

[otterbyte]

2 minutes ago, dancezwithkittehz said:

Sunday was a lost day but I did hang out in pajamas and play video games and hug cats inspite of feeling crappy

 

Treatment:

[raptron]

Sunday was not a lost day -- Sunday was that day of rest and relaxation you were looking for!  

[dancezwithkittehz]

So I realize I forgot to mention that I failed to run last week. ARGH. This was honestly not for lack of wanting to but mostly because it rained SO MUCH LAST WEEK HOLY CRAP. I won't run on streets and the lagoon was a giant mud puddle (which if I didn't have to go back to work mud covered would actually be kind of awesome.)

 

BUT ANYWHO! I ran today! Since it was the last day this week before we are due for like 4 more days of rain (WTF where do I live? WHERE AM I? We need it desperately here in CA but it's still WEIRD getting this much rain!)  But anywho I digress!

 

I ran you guys!!!!! And I not only ran but I somehow did the lagoon loop TWICE in under an hour which is more running than I have managed to do in maybe 3 years!?!?!? I guess my ridiculous running in character for the superhero dance piece DID equal out to real life running gains! Who knew?!

 

One loop = around 1.49 miles. I ran about 1/2 of the first loop, and then probably 90% of the second loop (I walked up the stairs and I walked part of a hill and I walked in the super muddy slippery part.)

 

SO MUCH RUNNING! I am so excite! I have literally never had something like this happen. I was expecting to struggle bus through one loop and call it a day..not be like oh hey I still have a ton of time I guess we can do this again?! Like...who are you?! Why can you run?! What? HOW!?

 

I also managed to actually warm up properly and NOT way overdo it in the first 15 minutes which is usually how this goes for me -- I'd try to run as far as I can without stopping and then my legs are like FUCK YOU NOPE and and my calves and ankles basically are like YOU ARE WALKING ONLY NOW LOL TIGHT SAD CRAMPY MUSCLES HAHAHAHA. 

Today though I started by walking for 10 min for warm up. Then I mixed in super short, easy running intervals (like, maybe 30 seconds at most.) I would let it get to where I was barely beginning to feel the hint of a burn in my calves and ankles and then switch to walking. I walked until that area felt less burny and then gradually increased  the length of my run intervals as my legs warmed up.

 

I think I am finally starting to figure out how this "taking on new fitness thing" works! I imagine my 3+ years of varying success in working out helped, but REALLY I think learning from working with my powerlifting trainer has helped SO MUCH. He is a super fitness exercise dork and he has really taught me that it is NOT necessary to work at anywhere near your max to see gains (much less it can be detrimental in many cases to always do that.)  I FEEL SO GROWED UP AND WISE! WOOOHOO!

[raptron]

SO EXCITING!  

[dancezwithkittehz]

I feel this summarizes my weekend feels Ah the joys of pre-shark week anxiety! (SARCASM. ALL THE SARCASM!):

 

 

Anywhooo without further ado...

 

WEEK 2 WRAP UP!!!

 

Goal 1: AERIAL  - 1 out of 1 per week YEP!

 

Goal 2: BODYWEIGHT TRAINING -  3 out of 2 per week -YEP!

 

GOAL 3: RUNNING - 1 out of 1 per week YEP!

 

GOAL 4: LIFTING - 1 out of 1 per week YEP!

 

Life Goal - Lipstick - Nope. Again! I am totes not remembering this one and think I will amend challenge to not include. Clearly I can accomplish goals! But this one is not working right now. At least I have not bought any new lipstick or looked at lipstick to buy so that is progress at least!

 

Life Goal - Declutter/clean - Yep! 30+ min cleaning a success! I can see my floor more and more! Still a long way to go! I am really proud that I have been actually putting clothes away in proper places let's say..90% of the time. (Yes I do still sometimes get home to change and be like WHEE THROW DA THING RANDOM PLACESSSS... but I am getting much better about it!)

 

[sylph]

1 minute ago, dancezwithkittehz said:

 

 

 

I am like this all the time. I am sure it annoys hubs to no end.